Take care: Zika, get the facts, Part 1

What is the Zika virus? Dr. Michael Coll, chief medical officer of Keystone Health, shares what you need to know about this virus and how to protect yourself in this first of a two part series about the Zika virus.

What is Zika?

Zika is a virus transmitted by a specific type of mosquito, the Aedes aegypti species. This mosquito species transmits several types of related viral infections in addition to Zika. It can also transmit Dengue, Chikugnuya, and yellow fever. Worldwide, mosquitoes are responsible for more than one million deaths each year through the transmission of infectious illnesses such as malaria, West Nile, and those listed above. This makes mosquitos the number one threat to human life in nature.

Where is Zika from?

This mosquito species lives primarily in warm climates, such as the Southern tier of the United States, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Up until recently, there were no confirmed cases of Zika infected mosquitos in the United States. However, at the end of July several individuals in Miami contracted Zika and these were linked to bites from infected mosquitos. This is a critical development because this means that Zika and the mosquitos that carry it are now on American soil and actively infecting people.

What about local mosquitoes?

Another Aedes mosquito species, Aedes albopictus - a close relative to the aegypti species, lives in climates further north, such as Pennsylvania and the remainder of the northeast. This species has not yet been known to transmit Zika because it does not live where Zika is currently common – the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Some believe once Zika makes its way to the Continental US both types of mosquitos will be capable of transmitting the virus, which would put the population of the north east United States at risk.

How is it contracted?

Zika is contracted most often through the bite of the Aedes mosquitos which acts as a carrier transmitting the virus—first biting a human infected by the virus, then carrying the virus in its system, biting someone not-infected and infecting them. It has also been shown to be contracted through intimate sexual contact. There was recently a case of a caregiver of an infected patient contracting the disease, without sexual contact. The CDC is actively investigating this concerning case to determine if non-sexual human to human contact can transmit the virus.

Symptoms of Zika

Most people who contract Zika have no symptoms. Others typically have mild viral symptoms, such as rash, fever and conjunctivitis that last less than one week. Zika is a concern because it has recently been associated with severe microcephaly in the unborn children of women who contract the virus while pregnant. Microcephaly, which means “small head,” is thought to be caused by arrest of the growth of the brain, causing the skull not to grow and the head size to be severely reduced. Children affected by this develop severe and permanent learning and developmental issues.

(Next time Dr. Colli will share more information for pregnant women about Zika.)

This article contains general information only and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment or care by a qualified health care provider. Also, information regarding Zika is evolving rapidly and the information provided in this article was accurate at the time of its writing.